House Speaker John A. Boehner called President Obama's upcoming State of the Union speech "pathetic" for rehashing stale Democratic priorities, even as Republicansare doubling-down on their own policy agenda that found little traction outside the GOP-led House.

"It sounds to me like the same old policies that we've seen: more spending, higher taxes more regulation – the same policies that haven't helped our economy; they've made it worse," Boehner said on "Fox News Sunday."

"If that's what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night, I think it's pathetic."